Families of shooting victims given $180,000
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; 5:39 AM
After a summer of grief and emotional turmoil the families of the victims from the April 16 shootings will be receiving compensations.

Related:

Feinberg statement on Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund distribution

Administrators of the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund will be paying families $ 7.6 million dollars that have accumulated in the fund over the summer. The division of the funds will be divided amongst the deceased, those injured, and those who are suffering from psychological trauma.

According to a press release, $180,000 in the form of a cash payment will be paid to the families who lost a loved one.

Victims hospitalized for 10 days and nights or more due to physical injuries from the shootings will receive a cash payment $90,000 in addition to tuition and mandatory fees for the remainder of the victim's time at Virginia Tech.

Students who were hospitalized for three to nine days on account of injuries will receive a $40,000 cash payment and their tuition and fees for the remainder of their studies. Those who were injured and received under three days of hospitalization or no hospitalization will be eligible for either receiving tuition and fees or a cash payment of $10,000.

Students who were not injured but were inside Norris Hall in rooms 204, 205, 206, 207, and 211 may to choose to have their tuition and fees paid for or receive a cash payment of $10,000.

Finally, students who are facing psychological trauma from the shootings may receive free counseling at the Cook Counseling Center.

The decision for how the money was to be split up came from meetings and discussions with the families of most of those affected by the shootings, said Kenneth Feinberg, the Washington D.C. lawyer appointed by Virginia Tech president Charles Steger to divide up the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. Feinberg also administered funds to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"There was a sense that a bulk of the money should to go to those who died in Norris," he said. "However, money should be given to the injured and those who feared for their lives."

Feinberg said that the division of the money came from the decisions made by the families. "The families met, and they were very courageous, extremely constructive," Feinberg said.

The fund initially raised $7,684,513. From that amount, $5,760,000 will be distributed to the deceased, and $2,120,000 will be distributed to the others. Any money donated to the fund in the future will be put toward the Hokie Spirit Scholarship Fund.

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Posted by: Bob Roberts at 9/04/07 Just as in the case of other relief funds, no one will get any money unless they sign a waiver of claims against the school. If families hired lawyers, they probably did it on a contingency, so if they wanted to take the fund money, the family would have to decide how their lawyer gets paid. And I agree too, the "good standing" clause is stupid. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Kelly at 8/24/07 Yes, Feinburg is working "pro-bono" (aka. free) for Virginia Tech. I agree with John Wilkinson about the "students in good standing" clause. Pretty ridiculous Flag Abuse
Posted by: Anonymous at 8/23/07 the lawyer feinberg is not being paid for his services therefore a third of the money isnt going to him if you read the article it gave the total amount of money and the amount raised. Flag Abuse
Posted by: John Woods at 8/22/07 So what if it is, Dale? Don't those families have a right to get answers? I know several of these people, and they would give everything they have and more to have their children and brothers and sisters and parents back. If they weren't receiving money from the University, they'd STILL spend it in exchange for answers. This just makes life a little easier for them, hopefully. Flag Abuse
Posted by: John Wilkinson at 8/22/07 In the pdf document it says "Each of these individuals will be eligible for tuition and mandatory fees ... as long as the claimant remains a student in good standing making satisfactory progress toward that degree and the enrollment in the program of study is continuous." Shouldn't we be a little easier on these injured students? Why require that they maintain good performance in class and a continuous course of study? They should be allowed to take classes when they want, for free, and without worry of having their funding cut off if their grades slip below a minimum level. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Amanda Bennett at 8/22/07 I doubt, as you question, that "a third of the money [is] going to the lawyers." From what has been published, there have not been lawsuits. However, even if there were legal needs for which the family has had to hire a lawyer, wouldn't part of the point of this money be to help offset those costs? I wouldn't think it would be a bad thing for the money to be used for legal fees incurred by the tragedy. Flag Abuse
Posted by: IT news at 8/21/07 is it alright if i donate a check? Flag Abuse
Posted by: Alan at 8/21/07 I wanted to donate money but I never got around to it. Is it too late to donate money to individual memorial funds? Flag Abuse
Posted by: Dale at 8/21/07 I hate to ask, but is a third of the money provided going to the lawyers of the victim's families as is frequently the case? Flag Abuse






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